Sinker and method for plating and reverse plating



"Aug. 11, 1936. K A. E. PAGE 2,050,962

SINKER' AND METHOD FOR PLATING AND REVERSE PLATING Filed July 26, 1955 Y b f e T'zcrE 300 T INVENTOR ALBERT E. PAGE BY HIS ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 11, 1936 UNETE star-ss- PATENT SINKER AND 'METHOD FOR PLATING AND REVERSE PLATING Application July 26, 1935, .Serial No. "33,357

9 Claims.

This invention relates to knitting machines and more particularly to knitting machines for making plated fabric of the type in which means are provided for changing the positions of selected needlesin order to reverse the arrangement of the plating yarns in the fabric and it is an object of this'invention to provide 'means for use in a knitting machine of the type .described to insure the desired plating arrangement of the yarns at all needles and particularlyto insure the normal plating arrangement where desired in knitting machines in which selected cylinder needles are bent back from their normal vertical position to reverse the plating arrangement of the yarns. .It is also an object of this invention to .provide a sinker of improved design for use in knitting machines of the type described in order to insure the desired plating arrangement of the threads or yarns at each needle and it is also an objectof this invention to provide an improved method of operation in order to insure the yarns plating in the desired arrangement and the loops of uniform length irrespective of the plating arrangement.

In the drawing- Fig. 1 is a view showing the arrangement of the threads or yarns as theyiare "fed to the cylinder needles; 9

Fig. 2 is a view showing the arrangement of the yarns as they are engaged with the sinker, the sinker being constructed in accordance with this invention and the needle in position for normal plating;

Fig. 3 is a View showing the needle as it is lowered below the sinker to draw the loop and the sinker having madepart of its inward movement;

Fig. 4 is a view showing the relative positions of the needle an'd sinker, the downward movement of the needle and the inward movement of the sinker being completed;

Fig. 5 is a view showing the relative positions of the yarns, needle and sinker just before the needle engages the yarns on the sinker, the needle being bent backward in order to reverse the normal plating arrangement of the yarns;

Fig. 6 is a view showing the relative positions of the yarns, needle and sinker as the sinker is engaged by the yarns, the needle being still bent backward;

Fig. 7 is a view showing the needle lowered from its position in Fig. 6 and returned to its normal forward position and the sinker moved inward as in Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is a view showing the needle lowered to its lowermost position and the sinker moved to its innermost position; and

Fig. 9 is a -fragmentary view in plan of "the sinker cam ringshowing the arrangement of a sinker operating cam to provide for-a quick inward-movement of the sinkers.

In the drawing the invention isshown as applied to sinkers for use in a circular-knitting machine and while the sinkers shown are of the plain type it is to be understood the invention is 10 equally applicable to sinkers dfiother types. Ihe machine to which the sinkers are applied isof the type arranged to knit a plurality of yarns in plated relation and tohave'selected needlesbent back .to reverse'the plating relations of the yarn in the well known manner. The mechanism :for bending back the needles is not shown but it may be as shown in the patent to Houseman, No. 1,779,237, issued Oct. 21, 1930. The sinkers .will be operated in the usual manner by the cams mounted in the sinker cam ring 300 as in the patent to Scott, No. 1,641,101, issued 'Augusti23, 1927, but the sinker cams .306 and 308 are shaped to move the sinkers inwardly more quicklythan are the cams-of the Scott patent.

Sinkers in accordance with this :invention are the same irrespective of whether the adjacent needles platethe'yarns in the .normal'or reverse relation and comprise a body having the usual operatingbutts w at one end. and forked at the other end in the usual manner, theupper portion of the forked end having'the usual neb .w zand a flat knocking over surface w extendedJoy means of an undercut, beneath'the neb to so as .110 form a throat with the underside of the neb. In advance or outwardly of the hat knocking -:ov er surface w there is provided an arcuatesurface 10 extending below the :level of the surface .10 and .so positioned that needles plating :normal'ly will engage the yarns with the portion of the arc adjacent the fiat surface w as shown in Fig. 2 while needles bent backwardly to reversely plate the yarns engage the yarns upon the portion of the are remote from the flat surface w In operation, the backing and facing threads or yarns b and f, respectively, are fed in the usual manner so as to present the yarns to the needles at slightly diiferent angles. The-needles n which plate the yarns in the normal relation normally have the yarns positioned as shown in Fig. 1, when the yarns have been taken by these needles and the needles are started downward. The sinker and the needle are so positioned as the needle is drawn down that as the needle engages the yarns with the sinkers and moves the yarns to the upper portion of the needle hook, the yarns bear against the downwardly curved portion of the arcuate surface adjacent the flat surface to and the backing yarn b is at the left of the facing yarn as shown in Fig. 2. As the needle is drawn down to draw the loop the sinker is moved forward by the cam 306 or 308 placing the yarns on the flat surface 10 as shown in Fig. 4 so that the drawing of the loops is finished over the fiat surface w and all loops are drawn to the same length. The needles n which have beenrselected toreversely plate the yarns are bent backward prior to engaging the yarns with the sinkers so as these needles are lowered to draw the loops the needles are so positioned as to engage the yarn, with the point sides of the needle hooks as shown in Fig. 5 and when the yarns are engaged with the sinkers they engage upon the inclined surface at a distance from the flat surface 11) and the backing yarn' b is at the right of the facing yarn f, as shown in Fig. 6. Immediately after the yarns are engaged with the sinkers and as the needles are moved downwardly to draw the loops,

the needles are released by the means which pressed them backwardly and the movement forward-of the sinkers is begun bringing the yarns to the lowermost portion of the curved surface w as in 'Fig. 7 but the engagement of the yarns with the sinker prevents anychange in the relative positions of the yarns. Withthe continued downward movementof the needles to draw the loops there is also a continued inward movement of the sinkers so the'finaldrawing of the loops is over the fiat surface w and all the loops are drawn to the same length and to the same length as the normally plated loops.

The continual bending of the needles in order to plate the yarns in thereverse relation eventually'causes some of the needles, to be slightly bent so that they do not return to their normal vertical position as in Figs. 1 to 4 when released and the needles so bent previously, often reversely plated where normal plating was desired.

- With the sinkers as shown in the drawing, however, the relation of the arcuate surfacew to the needles is such'that unless pressed back as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the needles even when bent as described engage the yarns with the inclined portion of the arcuate surface adjacent the'flat surface 20 and place the'yarns on the sinkers in the desired relation for normal plating. The subsequent inward movement of the sinkers is sufficient to cause the drawing of the loops to be finished over theflat surface 10 so there is no difference in the size of the loops.

What is claimed is:

1. A sinker having a flat horizontal surface overwhich the loops are measured and an arcuate thread engaging surfacel ying wholly below the level of the flat surface, said arcuate surface being of suflicient extent to receive a plurality of yarns therein for plating.

2. A sinker having a flat horizontal surface over which the loops are measured and an arcuate thread engaging surface lying wholly below the level of the fiat surface and outwardly thereof, said arcuate surface being of sufiicient extent to receive a plurality of yarns at either side thereof for normal and reverse plating respectively.

3. A sinker for use in knitting plated fabric havinga'flat loop drawing surface and a single arcuate surface extending below the level of the flat surface to receive the threads in normal plating at one portion of the arcuate surface and in reverse plating at an opposite portion of the said arcuate surface.

4. Ina knitting machine, a sinker having a flat loop measuring surface and a concave thread engaging surface outwardly of the flat surface, a needle forwengaging-threads with said sinker at either end portion of said concave surface and means for shifting said sinker as the needle is lowered to measure the loop over the flat surface of the sinker. v

5. In a knitting machine, a sinker having a flat loop measuring surface and a concave thread en gaging-surface and a needle having abent back position for engagingthreads with the outer por- 5 sitions forreffecting normal and reverseplating 3 and engaging threads with the inner portion of the concave surface for normal plating.

7; Steps in a method of knitting a plated fabric comprising engaging threads with an angularportion .of a sinker as the needle is lowered to draw the loops and then moving the sinker with respect to the threads to measure the, loops over a portion of the sinker higher than the angular portion.

8. Steps in a method of knitting plated'fabric comprising engaging yarns with oppositely inclinedportions of concave surfaces of sinkers to knit the threads in normal and reverse plating relations and moving the 'sinkers with respect to the threads to measure all loops over higher fiat knit the threads in normal and reverse plating relations and moving the sinkers uniformly to measure all loops over flat portions of the sinkers.

ALBER'I E. PAGE. 

